After years of self-inflicted knife wounds on her wrists in a bid to end her life, Nan*,17, mustered enough courage to send a troubling Line message to seek help from @saidek1387, one among a handful of counselling platforms Childline Thailand Foundation uses to reach out to troubled youth.
She knew this was her last-ditch effort to address her deteriorating bouts of depression, which exacerbated her suicidal tendencies during the pandemic as she struggled to study at home.
The photos sent to social workers spoke volumes about her cry for help and her plea for someone to say her life mattered. The documented material showed the gradual collapse of her mental health, from scratches on her wrists to more severe knife wounds.
To further numb the emotional pain that had accumulated through the years from being in a dysfunctional family environment, where she was often chided for instigating situations to call attention to herself, Nan used lit cigarette butts to scare herself.
Being hospitalised after a suicide attempt, her mother began monitoring her medication in the hope she would get better. Sadly, that wasn't to happen, and with the pandemic in full swing, being at home made Nan's mental condition go from bad to worse.
Nan is among hundreds of Thai youth that have contacted Childline Thailand since Covid-19 forced schools to close and online classes became the new normal.
Childline social counsellor Supada Wongkud said since the pandemic broke there has been an alarming rise in callers suffering from depression and suicidal tendencies. Current case figures show that approximately 70% involve students that are finding it emotionally difficult to shoulder their responsibilities of studying from home. This is further aggravated by the fact that their parents are either laid off from work or have had their salary cut, causing financial difficulties that cause emotions to flair and create frictions leading to domestic violence.
"Families across the country are suffering from financial difficulties, and parents' inability to cope with the stress and frustration is often taken out on their children. Of course, I don't believe this is intentional, but it is happening. Children who are already emotionally fragile suffer the most because there is little they can do to alleviate the mounting emotional distress," remarked Supada, who has worked with the foundation for three years.
"As in the case of Nan, who I have been counselling for eight months, I found that her parents did not realise the gravity of her mental state from the beginning. They are of the opinion that she hurts herself to get attention, so they scold her for it. It is customary for them to use a harsh tone of voice with their daughter, without realising it made her feel rejected and worthless.
"During Covid-19 their family business suffered thus they often vented their stress on her without realising that her depression had reached a stage where she was ordering poison to kill herself. There have been a handful of times that they were able to get to her before she seriously harmed herself. The rather unfortunate part is that while our counselling sessions have helped her to realise that her life matters, when she has a tiff with her parents and heated words are exchanged, she goes back to her former self. However, as a counsellor, I continue to offer her the positive reinforcement she needs to realise that there is someone that cares and wants to see her make the most of her life."
Supada said cases with suicide tendencies, the majority being in the 15 to 17 age bracket, had risen sharply in a year. Many of these are considered emergency cases as by the time they reach the counsellors, the child has already contemplated committing suicide.
She said as the majority of the cases are already being treated by psychiatrists, her work is centred on offering emotional support.
"Childline Thailand is 24 hours, they have direct access to our counselling services, among other initiatives. They have the freedom to call at any time and if needed make an appointment. Our entire focus is on empowering and reinforcing their self-worth. For them, we are their lifeline, someone who stands beside them through thick and thin. It is an enormous responsibility that we take seriously.
"Our job is to make them realise that they deserve to be happy and that their life holds meaning. Each positive affirmation they receive from us makes them believe that they are special. This experience is probably a first for a lot of them that suffer from low self-esteem."
Supada also noted that the pandemic has added enormous stress on families financially. This frustration sometimes takes the form of confrontation between parents and children.
"I would like to urge parents to be extra careful in the manner with which they treat their sons and daughters, as emotional disorders commonly emerge during adolescence. In addition to depression and anxiety, adolescents with emotional disorders can also face excessive irritability, frustration or anger. Symptoms can overlap across more than one emotional disorder with rapid and unexpected changes in mood and emotional outbursts.
"Making an effort to keep cool and collectively approach your teen can help your child feel loved and supported. Just remember that your tone of voice and mannerisms hold significance for your child, especially one that is emotionally suffering.''
Society, said Supada, can play an integral role in helping troubled youth get the help they need.
"Children use social media as a cry for help. They will stream how they plan to take their life in front of the public. This is often retweeted numerous times before it reaches the hands of a social welfare group which then dispatches the information to related agencies to help the victim. There are instances we get there in time and instances we don't.
"We can all do our part by being more empathetic towards the youth we come across. You never know that by doing so you are saving a life."
On a different note, Supada said more should be done at an administrative level to address the mental health of the youth during the pandemic, which has made the situation worse with the uncertainty of just how long they will be studying from home.
She noted that there had been few relief schemes designed to address the long-term effects of the school closures and the isolation policies that have ensued.
"More discussions should be conducted to remedy these issues, to mitigate the negative consequences. Our stats show that children are mentally struggling to come to terms with the new normal. In fact, they seem to be on the receiving end of a lot of the pandemic measures.
"When you subject children to these restrictions without ensuring there are support systems in place, it is tough to cope with something like that on your own as a child."
For more information, visit childlinethailand.org.
*Not her real name.
